2 June 2025 (New Delhi) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the winners of the annual IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards:
- Inspirational Role Model: Claudia Zapata-Cardone, President of the Latin Professionals in Aerospace (LPA)
- High Flyer: Katherine Moloney, Founder of Elevate (her) Aviation
- Diversity & Inclusion Team: Air Canada
“Diversity and inclusion is strategic for aviation as the industry’s growth is contingent upon attracting a strong talent pool with a wide variety of skills. Congratulations go to this year’s awardees who have all excelled at creating the potential for any individual to have a great career in aviation—an industry that is a powerful force for social and economic prosperity. Their achievements are examples for others to follow,” said Karen Walker, Editor-in-Chief, Air Transport World and Chair of the judging panel.
“As we mark the seventh year of the IATA Diversity and Inclusion Awards, they continue to play a pivotal role in making aviation a more inclusive and representative industry that supports innovation, enhances decision making, and strengthens customer engagement. These awards highlight how inclusion is not just the right thing to do—it’s also a strategic advantage. I commend all the nominees, and especially the winners,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
The IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards are generously sponsored by Qatar Airways. Through their support, each winner receives a prize of $25,000, payable either to themselves or their nominated charities.
“It is affirming to witness our industry blooming on the tenets of diversity and inclusion, thus ensuring the longevity of the sector. Today’s announcement represents the great work of these aviation leaders in bringing forth innovation in varied facets of aviation. Congratulations to all the winners for exemplifying excellence and being the benchmark of thoughtful change in the industry,” said Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer.
The 2025 IATA Diversity & Inclusion Awards were presented during the World Air Transport Summit (WATS), which followed the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in New Delhi, India.
Winner Profiles
Inspirational Role Model: Claudia Zapata-Cardone, President of the Latin Professionals in Aerospace (LPA)
Captain Claudia Zapata-Cardone is the daughter of Latino immigrants to the United States, an airline captain, and a volunteer advocate. She is focused on breaking barriers and opening doors for underrepresented communities in aviation.
As President of Latin Professionals in Aerospace (LPA), she has transformed vision into action—expanding scholarships, increasing female membership, and launching impactful programs across the United States and Latin America. These programs include ALAS to inspire youth, ELLAS to mentor Latinas in aerospace, and Compasión to support pilot mental health.
High Flyer: Katherine Moloney, Founder of Elevate (her) Aviation
Katherine founded Elevate (her) Aviation, an online resource platform and global community that is dedicated to raising the percentage of women in aviation careers globally—from pilots to engineers and air traffic controllers. They offer cost-free access to events, resources, membership for Elevate (her) for life, which is facilitated by partnerships with British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Avincis, Draken, Cirrus, Skyborne, Tecnam and UK NATS. This ensures the widest possible global access to the group’s benefits. They also conduct research and outreach to schools, colleges, and universities.
Reflective of the demand for the work done by Elevate (her) Aviation, in just one year, it has grown to thousands of members across 63 countries, with popular in-person and online events held globally. On Instagram Elevate (her) reached 8 million people with 28k followers, while Katherine’s personal reach on her aviation focused Instagram account (@moloneykatherine) extends to 256k followers.
Diversity & Inclusion Team: Air Canada
Through their CARE model—Community Outreach, Accountability, Representation, and Engagement & Belonging—Air Canada is setting a new standard for what inclusive aviation looks like. Their AC Spark (aimed at 5–17-year-olds) and AC Take Off (which targets 17-25 year-olds) programs are reaching underrepresented youth across Canada, providing mentorship, scholarships, and a pathway into aviation careers — benefiting individuals, communities, the company, and the broader industry.
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